The present invention relates generally to the field of horseback riding. More specifically, it relates to a method for customizing or adjusting a saddle on a horse and the apparatuses thereof.
Saddle fit, the relationship between horse and saddle, has perplexed equestrians since the introduction of the rigid frame saddle, in the 4th century B.C. Horsemen have long understood the importance of a well fitting saddle but did not have the tools to make an accurate determination of the saddle fit. Just as humans are not able to achieve their athletic potential in shoes that hurt, horses cannot achieve theirs with a saddle that applies uneven pressure or that impinges. Improperly fitting saddles are the single-most cause of spasms that lift and pull the horse""s shoulder back, which of course inhibits proper movement. A saddle that impinges can cause restricted blood flow and spasms in these and other muscle groups. The horse""s stride can become shortened which changes the way its feet make contact with the ground. This can cause damage to the suspensory ligament and superficial digital flexor tendon.
A practitioner who has involved herself with in-depth studies of saddles and proper fit is Joyce C. Harman, DVM, MRCVS, of Harmany Equine Clinic, in Washington, Va. Harman has presented papers and discussions on the subject, including a presentation at the 1997 meeting of the Association of Equine Sports Medicine in San Antonio, Tex. She has also written extensively on the subject, including authorship of a book on saddles and proper fit. xe2x80x9cSaddles are the necessary evils of the competition horse,xe2x80x9d says Harman. xe2x80x9cA saddle is a rigid structure that connects the dynamic structures of the horse with the rider. The fit and position of the saddle affect the movement of the horse and the ability of the rider to communicate his or her wishes to the horse. Saddles contribute in a major way to the poor-performance syndrome and to the behavior and lameness problems seen in horses in every sport.xe2x80x9d
Fitting this basically rigid structure correctly to a horse""s back can be confusing and frustrating, Harman says, because so many variables are involved. There also is the matter of cost. xe2x80x9cFew horse owners can afford to have a specially designed saddle for each horse in the stable. Or, if they own only one horse, it often is not economically feasible for them to obtain a new saddle if the current horse is sold or traded and another one obtained.
Many riders attempt to correct a saddle fit problem with a pad. That rarely worksxe2x80x9d, says Harman: xe2x80x9cNumerous saddle pads are on the market to try to solve the fitting problem; however, the majority of them create more problems than they solve. Putting a pad across the withers under a saddle that is already too narrow can be compared to putting on thick socks inside a pair of shoes that are already too small. The pressure actually increases and muscle atrophy is often the result.xe2x80x9d
There have been prior approaches to solving the problem of saddle fit. Talley Inc. of Romsey, England, developed a pad formed of air cells that are connected to a controller unit via thin flexible plastic tubes. Vistamed of Winnipeg, Canada, developed an array using force-sensitive resistors. Tekscan, a company in Cambridge, Mass., developed an extensive array using a force-sensitive ink printed on a polyester film. U.S. Pat. No. 5,315,397 discloses a sensor array pad for determining the pressure distribution under a saddle. The pressure sensed by the sensors are input to the computer which generates a display of the pressure distribution. Also known, there is a mechanical device, which allows a user to measure a horse""s back and compare the findings on a saddle.
All the prior approaches had various limitations, including but not limited to; the systems being too cumbersome, too expensive and in most cases too technically demanding for the average equestrian. There is another major shortcoming with the aforementioned systems. They are all designed to test saddle fit on a static horse; a horse which is stationary. This is inherently wrong since it is believed that the relationship between a saddle and a horse can only be well understood when there is a person on the saddle and the horse is actually moving.
Other examples of prior art related to this field are given in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,136,506; 4,669,255; 5,027,589; 5,058,367; 5,119,618; 5,175,986; 5,375,397; 5,577,372; 5,782,070; 5,787,692; 6,050,067; and WO 97/17281.
There is thus presently a need for a method and/or apparatuses to improve the saddle fit of a horse.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatuses that satisfy that need.
More particularly, the present invention provides an impression pad for revealing a relief pattern of the pressure distribution of a saddle on the back of a horse, the saddle having an underside including two symmetrical bars of a definite surface area adapted to be positioned on the horse""s back. The impression pad comprises:
an envelope made of a flexible material and having a surface area at least as large as the surface area of the bars of a saddle; and
a moldable putty material contained in the envelope.
The invention also provides a method for obtaining a relief pattern of the pressure distribution of a saddle on the back of a horse, comprising the steps of:
a) providing and levelling an impression pad as defined above;
b) positioning between the saddle and the horse""s back the flattened impression pad of step a); and
c) riding the horse for a time sufficient to imprint on the impression pad the relief pattern of the pressure distribution of the saddle on the back of the horse.
The present invention further provides a method for customising the fit of a saddle to a horse, comprising the steps of:
a) providing and levelling an impression pad as defined above,
b) positioning between the saddle and the horse""s back the flattened impression pad of step a);
c) riding the horse for a time sufficient to imprint on the impression pad the relief pattern of the pressure distribution of the saddle on the back of the horse;
d) shaping a corrective cushion pad having a relief pattern conforming to the relief pattern obtained in step c), and
e) positioning between the saddle and the back of the horse the corrective cushion pad obtained in step d).
The corrective cushion pad preferably consists of two individual and symmetrical cushion pads which are respectively positioned in step e) under a corresponding bar of the saddle. Also preferably, step d) of shaping a corrective cushion pad comprises, for each individual cushion pad, the steps of:
providing a base panel and a set of cushion spacers of varying thickness, each cushion spacer having a face removably securable to a face of the base panel; and
securing cushions spacers to the base panel in such a fashion as to replicate the relief pattern of the impression pad obtained in step c).
Also preferably, step d) comprises the step of:
attaching the base panel of each individual cushion pad to a corresponding side of the impression pad of step c) prior to securing the cushion spacers thereto.
In a still preferred version of the method, step e) of positioning the impression pad between the saddle and the back of the horse comprises the steps of:
providing a saddle blanket having a built-in pocket for receiving the individual cushion pads;
inserting the individual cushion pads into the pocket of the saddle blanket; and
positioning the saddle blanket between the saddle and the horse""s back.
Also preferably, the method may comprise, between steps d) and e), the step of:
verifying the accuracy of the corrective cushion pad shaped in step d), which could be done by;
i) levelling the impression pad and positioning it on the horse""s back;
ii) positioning the corrective cushion pad obtained in step d) between the impression pad and the saddle;
iii) riding the horse for approximately the same time as in step c) to imprint a relief pattern of the pressure distribution of the saddle on the back of the horse;
iv) checking the relief pattern of the impression pad revealed in step iii) and, if it is not flat, rectifying the relief pattern of the corrective cushion pad to conform to the relief pattern of the impression pad; and
v) repeating steps ii) to iv) until the impression pad obtained in step iii) is even.
The present invention is also directed to a kit for shaping a corrective cushion pad as described above, the kit comprising:
a pair of symmetrical base panels each having a first face opposite a second face and a contour substantially conforming to a contour of the bars of a saddle; and
a set of cushion spacers of varying thickness and of varying length, each having a face removably securable to the first face of each base panel.
The invention is further directed to a kit for customizing the fit of a saddle to the back of a horse, the kit comprising:
an impression pad as defined above; and
a kit for shaping a corrective cushion pad as defined above.
What makes the present method and apparatuses so exemplary, is that once an impression is obtained with the impression pad, a user is able to customize the corrective cushion pad to compensate for any uneven distribution of saddle pressure. Whenever required, the saddle can be retested and further adjustments can be made to the corrective cushion pad.